Car Review: 2008 Subaru Impreza 2.5i Sport Hatchback

Fast enough to be fun

At the introduction of the 2008 version of the Subaru Impreza, Katsuhiro Yokoyama, president, chairman and CEO of Subaru Canada, related a story that perhaps explains the radical shift in the car’s style. At an airport, he was asked if Subaru was a French or Swiss manufacturer – talk about having a serious identity crisis! The latest Impreza comes in from the stylistic fringe and runs in the heart of the segment.

The base car is an attractive piece that brings a perkier style to a previously staid look. This is particularly true of the 2.5i dressed with the Sport Package – it mimics the WRX with a nice ground-effects kit and rear defuser. Sadly, it lacks the hood scoop. With it in place, most would be hard-pressed to tell the difference between the two cars. Only in a straight-line drag does the lack of the WRX’s turbo and horsepower become evident. For those on a tighter budget, it is a sporting piece that’s more affordable and costs less to insure.

Beneath the Sport’s hood is a 2.5-litre engine that employs Subaru’s i-Active valvetrain. The latter improves things by altering the lift of the secondary intake valve according to the demands placed on the engine. This and a revised intake manifold, which improves low- and mid-range performance, combine to produce 170 horsepower and 170 pound-feet of torque at 4,400 rpm. Generally, this is enough power to satisfy, as the engine is quick to rev to 3,000 rpm, which is where it begins to produce its best work. When teamed with the four-speed automatic – which comes with economy, sport and manual modes – the Impreza is fast enough to be fun.

This leads to the Impreza’s most likable trait – the refinement of its all-wheel-drive system. The flat-four boxer engine brings a low centre of gravity and allows the entire drivetrain to be built around the car’s longitudinal centre line. The benefits are manifold. To begin with, it balances the mass evenly left to right and allows the use of equal-length driveshafts. The latter banishes torque steer. Stand on the gas and the car pulls in a straight line without affecting the steering feel or feedback (cars with torque steer tend to make the steering feel as though it is binding, especially when accelerating through a corner).

The reason for taking the automatic transmission has nothing to do with the ease of the drive (the manual’s gate is well defined and the shifts are refined), but rather the type of all-wheel-drive system used to deliver the power to the wheels. The manual box employs a centre viscous coupling to split the power front to rear. While it is very good at making the best of the available traction, its performance pales in comparison with the proactive system married to the automatic transmission.

By monitoring a number of inputs, the system controls the continuously variable central clutch (it uses hydraulic pressure from the transmission) to control the power split. Get on the gas quickly from a standstill and the system knows that the risk of wheelspin is great and so it redistributes the power before a problem arises. It is this simple fact that makes the system so proficient.

In the real world, the system is so fast and seamless that its action goes completely unnoticed by the driver. This brings a stability to the drive that few cars can rival. Add a decent suspension that controls body roll without affecting ride comfort and a good set of Pirelli winter tires and old man winter is not to be feared. A brush with icy roads did very little to upset the Impreza’s balanced dynamics. This ability is then layered with a good electronic stability control system (a part of the Sport Package) just in case.

If there is a disappointment with the Impreza 2.5i, it is the rather bland interior. Aside from some silver insets, it is finished in black and charcoal grey. It stands in stark contrast when the car is finished in Subaru’s electric-blue World Rally paint job.

That aside, the cabin is nicely finished – the materials are good and they are put together with typical Japanese precision. There’s also plenty of equipment, including a premium sound system with steering wheel-mounted controls.

There are no complaints about the hatchback and the versatility it brings.

With the split/folding rear seat (which is roomy enough to be comfortable) in the upright position, there is 19 cubic feet of capacity, a privacy cover to keep prying eyes off your stuff and handy grocery bag hooks. Folding the seat flat opens up 44.4 cubic feet of space, a flat floor and plenty of width between the wheel wells.

The Impreza 2.5i equipped with the Sport Package brings everything the WRX promises except the turn of speed. The good news is that the Sport hatchback’s $25,995 price lops $9,000 off the WRX’s price, which more than makes up for the softer sizzle.